Born in Birmingham and raised in Tuscaloosa, Arthur Tyson is a multitalented alumnus of Central High School with a gift for both rapping and singing, skills he highlighted in his stage name, 2way.

Tyson said his earliest singing memories go all the way back to performing in at-home talent shows with his six sisters.

He said he started taking music seriously when he joined a singing group called the City Crooks when he was still a teenager.

"I was 18 and we was doing these shows and singing competitions and we kept winning money," Tyson recalled. "I was like, 'Oh yeah, this is something that I can do, I can stick with this.'"

Tyson said one of his friends had a distribution deal with UGK records and that's what helped him get more exposure and eventually shoot a video for 'Mary Jane," his first track to earn accolades on Stone it or Bone it, a classic hot-or-not show on Birmingham's 95.7 Jamz

2Way said he typically writes his lyrics based on his own life experiences. 'Catch a Case,' for instance, revolves around his realization that he was not the father of his ex-girlfriend's child.

 

He said he draws inspiration from growing up in the church and from all of the greats, especially Luther Vandross.

Tyson said his favorite in-person performance was during one of the University of Alabama's Hip Hop Summits, a short-lived but impactful program meant to examine and highlight the genre's role in Black culture.

"That was one of the biggest shows that I ever did, it was like 2,500 people there and I got an awesome, awesome response," he said. "The way they set it up was I was sitting in the crowd and when it was my time they played my music over the speakers and my mic came on and I started singing in the crowd. People knew me but they did not know that I could sing. I was so overwhelmed. I had to hold it together."

Tyson said he is currently working on a couple of new 2way songs but work keeps him so busy, it's often difficult to find time to work on his passion.

You can keep up with him on YouTube.

Editor's note: Alabama's Own is a new recurring series that aims to highlight up-and-coming musicians from in and around West Alabama. To learn more or tip us off to your own music, click here.

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